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2023.2024 Name Change



Updated May, 2024

In an effort to better align our brand with our mission, vision and values and recognize the growth of specialty masters/business masters programs, we are aiming to develop a name that is more inclusive of our diverse member base.

This video walks through our brand history, the name change process, and the reasons for the change. View the PDF from the video.

Phase I: Research

A member survey was distributed in September 2023 to gauge how our current members feel about our name, brand, and purpose as well as to identify common industry buzz words. An additional survey was conducted with non-members in November 2023. Highlights from both surveys include:
  • Most common industry buzz words (from both groups, across all regions):
    • MBA
    • Specialty Masters
    • Masters in Business
    • Business Masters
    • Employer
    • Recruiting
    • Community
    • Career/Careers
    • Graduate Business
  • Words/phrases that come to mind when you think about MBA CSEA: Career/careers, Community, MBA, Standards, Business 
  • In your own words, describe what MBA CSEA does (sample responses): 
    • A professional community that connects business school career services and employers for inspiration and networking
    • Connecting Business Schools with Employers around the world and finding synergies to facilitate their work
    • A group of like minds that connects schools and employers
    • A community for graduate business career professionals and employer partners to drive best practices and initiatives forward while maintaining a standard of consistency for all.
    • Facilitates meaningful connections between schools and employers and fosters opportunities for learning, networking, and building a close-knit community.
  • If you could rename MBA CSEA, what would you use (sample responses):
    • Graduate Business Career Services & Employer Alliance
    • Graduate Business Association of Colleges and Employers 
    • Graduate Business School & Employer Alliance/Association
    • Business Grads Career Catalyst
    • Business School Employer Alliance
       

Phase II: Competitive Advantage

Our Name Change Task Force updated our competitive advantage to help drive the next step in developing possible new names that differentiate our organization. Highlights include:
  • Focus on a global marketplace
  • Niche focus on MBA and graduate business recruiting
  • Concentration on the relationship between employers and career services/schools.
  • Community-focused environment
     

Phase III: New Name Exploration

We conducted a virtual ideation activity where all members were asked to share initial reactions to the following list of possible new names:
  • Graduate Business Career Services & Employer Alliance (GBCSEA)
  • Graduate Business Association of Schools & Employers (GBASE)
  • Business Education and Employer Partnership (BEEP)
  • Business School & Employer Alliance (BSEA)
  • Business Masters Career & Employer Alliance (BMCEA)
  • Graduate Business Career & Employer Community (GBCEC)
  • Graduate Business Employers & Careers Association (GBECA)
  • Graduate Business Professional and Employer Association (GBPEA)
  • Unify
    Tagline: A Global Association of Graduate Employers & Career Professionals
    Context: the idea with this name is to lead with the collaboration aspect and provide more information in the tagline vs. having a more literal name.
Highlights from the activity include:
  • Keep “CSEA” for brand recognition and consistency
  • Include “career services” or “careers” vs. just “business” or "schools"
  • Use “graduate business” vs. just “business”
  • Desire to have a shorter name
  • Desire to have an acronym that’s easy to remember
  • Desire to use the term "global" in some way
After exploring the results from the ideation activity, our name change task force narrowed down the options for names and added possible taglines. 
  • Graduate Business Career Services & Employer Alliance (GBCSEA)
    • Elevating Careers, Enriching Connections
    • Our business is your success
    • Setting the standard. Connecting the industry.
    • Empowering Futures, Connecting Talent
    • Business Success, Together
  • Graduate Business Alliance of Careers & Employers (GBACE)
    • Elevating Careers, Enriching Connections
    • Our business is your success
    • Setting the standard. Connecting the industry.
    • Empowering Futures, Connecting Talent
    • Business Success, Together
  • Career Services & Employer Alliance (CSEA)
    • Leading insights in graduate business careers
Additional feedback was gathered during the 2024 APAC and EMEA Conferences, and a second ideation exercise was conducted with MBA CSEA volunteers and career center leaders. Feedback included:
  • Continued desire to maintain the current name/brand as much as possible for consistency and brand recognition.
  • The acronym "GB" refers to "Great Britain," and could cause confusion in other European countries. 
  • "Graduate business" has a different connotation in Europe than in other geographies and often refers to those who have graduated with an undergraduate degree in business. "Post-graduate" is the preferred term in that region. 
The Name Change Task Force continues to work through options and narrow down choices with the goal of unveling the new name and visual identity at the 2024 Global Conference. If you have feedback to share, please contact us!
 



 


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